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WILKES-BARRE — Secretary of State Pedro A. Cortés announced his office will begin contacting Pennsylvanians eligible to vote, but not yet registered, to encourage their participation in the electoral process.

He said the department will encourage those unregistered citizens to apply for voter registration before the Oct. 11 deadline.

“At the Department of State, we are firmly committed to seeing that all eligible Pennsylvanians have a meaningful opportunity to participate in our democracy,” Cortes said in an emailed release. “This mailing will serve as a reminder that the deadline is quickly approaching.”

A mailing list being used was compiled by comparing statewide voter registration records with a PennDOT list of licensed drivers. At the request of the Department of State, PennDOT removed the names of individuals not eligible to vote, such as non-citizens, recently deceased drivers and drivers who will not be 18 years of age by Election Day.

Approximately 2 million eligible Pennsylvanians are not registered to vote, according to U.S. Census Bureau and Department of State statistics.

The postcards will provide recipients with information about the state’s Online Voter Registration site launched in August 2015.

Anyone with questions about the mailing may call the Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).

Wolf announces text message

service to help voters register

Gov. Tom Wolf announced the Pennsylvania Department of State has launched “2Vote” — a new voter registration text messaging service.

“Accessing the online registration site and helpful tools for voters, is now one short text away,” Wolf said in an emailed release.

Eligible Pennsylvania citizens can text the word “PA” to “2Vote” (28683) on their smartphones. The user will receive a link that provides direct access to the online voter registration application, voter registration status, polling place locator and link to contacts for county offices and the Department of State. The department is launching this service as part of its Everyone votesPA education initiative introduced in March.

The text message link also provides users with important dates and deadlines significant to the Nov. 8 general election. Standard messaging rates may apply.

The voter registration deadline for the November general election is Oct. 11.

State Police and Department of Health to

streamline sexual assault evidence procedures

Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Karen Murphy have signed an agreement to improve the way the agencies work together in establishing laboratory standards and data collection procedures regarding sexual assault testing and evidence.

“To end what is a nationwide problem, Pennsylvania is among a small but growing number of states that have implemented reforms to end the sexual assault evidence backlog,” Murphy said. “This agreement with the Pennsylvania State Police helps maximize state resources to find out where the rape kit backlogs are, and gives local forensic laboratories protocols from a criminal laboratory.”

The Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act mandates the DOH as the responsible agency, with concurrence of PSP and in consultation with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, for approving certain laboratories to receive sexual assault evidence for testing and analysis. Additionally, the act mandates the DOH to annually collect data on backlogged sexual assault evidence from laboratories and local law enforcement.

To better set these standards and collect more accurate data, the PSP and DOH have agreed to work collectively. PSP will now assist in establishing the forensic laboratory guidelines and gathering backlogged data from laboratories and local law enforcement agencies.

Future of Pennsylvania’s state forests

outlined in resource management plan

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the plan that will chart the course of Pennsylvania’s future state forests has been finalized and is now available on the DCNR website.

“Management of our state forest system is an ever-changing undertaking, as there are constantly new challenges and best practices. Society continues to place increasing needs on state forest land such as recreational use and resource extraction, and the forest also is under environmental stressors including climate change and invasive plants and insects,” Dunn said in an emailed release. “The careful and deliberate approach to management outlined in the plan will help protect and sustain the forest’s ecological, social and economic benefits now and for the future.”

Since 1955, DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry has been developing statewide plans that guide state forest management and communicate principles and goals to the public. The plan is updated approximately every five years.

DCNR received more than 4,000 comments on the plan. About 330 people attended a series of 12 public meetings that provided an opportunity for citizens to have a say in how their public lands are managed.

Notable changes in the plan as a result of comments include:

• The introduction of Core Forest and Wild Character Focus Areas to better implement these values on state forest land.

• A section on water resource protection and enhancement.

• The development of a new position statement on oil and gas development on state forest and park lands.

Pennsylvania’s more than 2.2-million acres of state forests comprise about 13 percent of the forested area in the commonwealth and are one of the largest expanses of public lands in the eastern U.S.

DCNR manages the state forests for sound ecosystems, retaining their wild character, maintaining biological diversity, providing clean water and habitats for plants and animals, emphasizing opportunities for recreation, providing sustained yields of quality timber and ensuring environmentally sound utilization of mineral resources.

To see a copy of the final State Forest Resource Management Plan, visit the DCNR website at www.dcnr.pa.gov and choose Forestry.

Cortes
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Cortes.jpg.optimal.jpgCortes

Wolf
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Wolf.jpg.optimal.jpgWolf

Murphy
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Secretary-Karen-Murphy.jpg.optimal.jpgMurphy

Dunn
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_dcnrcamp01.jpg.optimal.jpgDunn

By Bill O’Boyle

[email protected]

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.